


Allison, Learning

by siriuspiggyback



Series: Closer I Am To Fine [3]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Allison Hargreeves-centric, Celebrity culture, Character Study, Feminist Themes, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Makeup, Sibling Bonding, just anti makeup culture, not anti makeup, some thoughts on the media and feminism, this is the fluffiest thing ive ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:02:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23774296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriuspiggyback/pseuds/siriuspiggyback
Summary: She has been setting these standards for herself for so long that she rarely even thought about it. Her careful makeup and styled hair are as much part of her as her skin, her bones, done to look like she’s bare faced, but without the subtle imperfections of actually being bare faced.Or,Allison is twenty-nine years old, and she's only now learning to be a sister.
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves & Grace Hargreeves, Allison Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Allison Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves
Series: Closer I Am To Fine [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681714
Comments: 58
Kudos: 369





	Allison, Learning

**Author's Note:**

> i had a terrible, no good, very bad day, and i'm balancing it with this nonsense

For Allison Hargreeves, life has always been a performance.

Her father had never been interested in individuality, nor authenticity, and her publicist is much the same way. As she had told Allison, her lure wasn't that she was down to earth, but rather that she is unattainably perfect, something for people to idolise.

Her pedestal is high, but Allison has never been afraid of heights. 

She has been setting these standards for herself for so long that she rarely even thought about it. Her careful makeup and styled hair are as much part of her as her skin, her bones, done to look like she’s bare faced, but without the subtle imperfections of actually being bare faced. She is long used to making time for these things. Her alarm is set without fail to allow her to fix her appearance before breakfast, so that she is presentable by the time she sees her siblings.

Her siblings clearly follow a different method.

"Morning," Vanya mumbles into her toast. She's still in her flannel pyjamas, hair tucked away in a sloppy ponytail that is listing severely to the side.

Klaus greets her with a "Gooood morning," voice artificially chipper. Yesterday's eyeliner rings his eyes - she hates to think what his pillowcase looks like - but it's not enough to hide the heaviness of them, like he hasn't slept for a week. His food is untouched.

"Would you like some breakfast?" Grace asks from the stove, as if she doesn't ask every morning.

"Morning," Allison says. "That would be great, thanks, Mom." 

She feels eyes on her as she pours her coffee and takes a seat, and finds Klaus squinting at her, like he was trying to work something out. "What?" Allison asks him, defensive.

"Nothing," he says quickly. Too quickly.

Allison takes a fortifying sip of coffee, before saying, "Seriously, though. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Vanya glances between them warily, a hand on her plate like she was considering making a run for it.

"I just," Klaus says, torn. “I just realised that I never see you without makeup on. And that’s fine, of course, and you look wonderful, as always! Wearing makeup is a totally valid life choice, and I’m not about to criticise when I also wear makeup pretty much all of the time, you know-”

“Klaus,” Allison says, cutting off her brother’s rambling.

Klaus cringes. “Sorry. I just mean… I don’t know what I mean. Ignore me, I’m just, y’know, I always love talking.”

Allison is uncertain whether she is being insulted or not. “I guess I’m just used to wearing makeup,” she says diplomatically, smiling without teeth.

“I get that,” Klaus says. “It just seems like a lot of pressure, looking perfect all the time.”

Suddenly, Allison is hit with the realisation that Klaus is- _worried._ It’s a very un-Klaus-like emotion. “Oh. Well, you know what the entertainment industry is like; going outside without a full face is a scandal,” she explains, with a little irony, rolling her eyes just slightly.

“I hate that kind of stuff,” Vanya admits suddenly, expression shy. “Like, when you see headlines about some celebrity leaving the house looking like a _normal person,_ like it’s a crime or something _.”_

"Ugh, tell me about it. Every time I get caught looking less than perfect by the papps, I end up with a hundred angry voicemails from my publicist," says Allison, laughing.

"That's awful," Vanya says, indignant.

"That's celebrity life," says Allison, and her voice has an edge to it. "You're a product for public consumption, as far as the media is concerned." 

"Then… why? Why do it?" Vanya asks with a frown.

Allison leans back in her chair. "My therapist would probably say something about a need for validation and power or something."

"Okay, that's what your therapist might say," Klaus muses, "but what would _you_ say?"

"I-" she stops, taking a centering breath. "I love acting. I really do. I can't imagine doing anything else," she tells them helplessly.

Her words sit in the air for a moment.

"Then fuck the rest of it," Klaus blurts.

She lets out a surprised laugh. "What?"

"If you like acting, then act," Klaus says, eyes fixed, voice impassioned. "But fuck the rest, the interviews and photoshoots and anything else you hate about it."

"I can't do that. It will affect my public image, and then I won't get offered the same jobs I normally am," Allison tells him.

Klaus throws his hands up. "You're _Allison Fucking Hargreeves!_ You're not going to become irrelevant just because you didn't wear a full face of makeup to the gym!"

Allison gapes for a moment. "Oh my god. You're right."

"And I know I don't know anything, but I just- wait, what?" Klaus stops, confused. "I'm right?"

"You're right. I'm _Allison Fucking Hargreeves._ If I want to wear blue mascara, I should be allowed! If I want to wear last season's shoes, I can wear last season's shoes, god damn it!"

"Yes!" Vanya cries. "Liberation!"

Grinning widely, Allison says, "From now on, I'm doing what I want. And you know what I want to do?"

"What?" Klaus and Vanya ask in unison.

"I wanna do bad makeovers with my siblings, and listen to some cheesy pop, and then maybe watch some bad movies and do face masks." She looks at her siblings. “What do you think?"

"A girls night!" Klaus trills, delighted. "I'm in!"

"Sounds fun," agrees Vanya. She lifts her coffee mug, eyes twinkling. "To Allison Fucking Hargreeves!"

Allison and Klaus both clink their mugs together with her's, only spilling a little coffee. Klaus cheers, "To Allison Fucking Hargreeves!"

"To doing whatever the hell you want," Allison adds. She can't remember the last time she smiled this much.

Mom turns from the stove, laying a plate in front of Allison with her usual precision, and says lightly, "Some breakfast for Allison Fucking Hargreeves."

Perfect silence. Allison deeply considers that she needs a hearing test, or possibly a psych eval.

"Did-... Mom," says Klaus, voice awed. "Did you just swear?"

A wink. "Eat up, dears, before it goes cold," she says, turning away with a swish of her skirt.

Allison blinks. "Hey mom," she calls out. "Do you want to come for girls night?"

Synthetic skin scrunching with the force of her smile, she replies, "That sounds wonderful."

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Allison, Learning](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26733226) by [GoLBPodfics (GodOfLaundryBaskets)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GodOfLaundryBaskets/pseuds/GoLBPodfics)




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